Courtney Barnett shows that being a ‘creature of habit’ isn’t all bad

Australian singer and songwriter Courtney Barnett She may have been far from home Wednesday night at Roadrunner, but her fans gave her a warm welcome to New England.

“We love you, Courtney!” shouted a crowd member. “The Celtics suck, but you sure don’t!”

The Melbourne-based indie rock musician is on tour to promote “Creature of habit“, her fourth studio album. The album’s opening track “Stay in Your Lane” proved to be an equally effective start to her live set.

Barnett seemed eager to put on a no-nonsense show and let her music do the talking. Aside from thanking the audience and her band several times, she kept the onstage banter to a minimum during a quick 70-minute set.

For some artists, not talking might be tantamount to not caring, but for Barnett, it seemed a sign of focus and commitment. Anchored by bassist Bones Sloan and drummer Stella Mozgawa, she brilliantly matches her vocals and stage presence with complex guitar arrangements.

“Creature of Habit” was naturally the focus of Wednesday’s set, but Barnett struck a healthy balance between cuts from that album and hits like “Avant Gardener” and “Depreston.” On new songs like “Mantis” and “Sugar Plum,” she shows that her quirky, rambling singing style is still in full force.

“You’re either drowning in the deepest seas / Or you’re drowning in the kitchen sink / Either way, it feels like drowning,” she sang on “Sugar Plum.”

Barnett paired these lyrics with her trademark deadpan vocals, allowing her guitar to do more of the heavy melodic lifting. This style brought more attention to her lyrics and instrumentation, especially in the songs “Small Poppies” and “Elevator Operator”.

After closing her main set with “One Thing at a Time,” Barnett returned for a solo rendition of “Mostly Patient,” which showcased her finger-picked guitar chops. Finally, Sloan and Mozgawa returned to the stage to perform the outro of “Pedestrian At Best” and “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go to the Party,” both from her debut studio album, “Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit.”

Brooklyn-based indie rock band mama She opened for Barnett in the last of her four East Coast shows on her tour. This was the band’s second time playing Roadrunner this year after performing at Something in the Way Fest 2026.

Momma rocked to the same songs they played at the January festival, most of which came from their fourth studio album Welcome to My Blue Sky. This time they added “Bang Bang” and “Bottle Blonde” to their repertoire.

West coast musician Truman Sinclair He also performed, drawing heavily on paths paved by folk-rock giants like Neil Young and Bob Dylan. Sinclair and his backing band were clearly thrilled to be opening for Barnett, and they enjoyed every moment of their rolling set.

Setlist for Courtney Barnett at Roadrunner Boston, May 13, 2026

• Stay in your lane
• The city looks beautiful
• Avant Gardener
• Small poppies
• Mantis
• The site is not visible
• Great advice
• Debreston
• Elevator operator
• Sugar plum
• He wonders
• Before you go
• Make a list of things you are looking forward to
• One thing at a time

Appearance

• Mostly patient
• Pedestrian at best
• Nobody really cares if you don’t go to the party